Euphoria - Maverick

It’s spring in Texas and that means FESTIVALS. We just survived SXSW and now next weekend, central Texas will see 2 major music events: Euphoria Arts and Music Fest in Austin and Maverick Music Fest in San Antonio. The festival industrial complex has become an annual rite across the country but they have been challenged to maintain a unique identity. So what are Euphoria and Maverick doing to differentiate themselves from the pack this year? What makes attending these festivals special in 2017?

Euphoria Arts & Music Festival

photo from Euphoria 2016 by Ricardo Romero

EDM fests have been criticized for being as repetitive as a 4/4 kick drum, but what Euphoria creates is the stage electronic music deserves. Electronic music is diverse in its sounds and rhythms as well as the tools used to create it. Euphoria provides an environment for those variations: live performances with full bands on the main stage, a giant rave tent and an eclectic 3rd stage.

Beginning April 6, Euphoria brings Chromeo, Moby, Post Malone, Poolside, Bob Moses, Wiz Khalifa, Prince Fox and so much more to one weekend. We also get a see Pretty Lights as a full live band.

Another exciting aspect of this year’s fest is an Art Outside partnership. Art Outside is an independent festival in central Texas that focuses on performance art and other mediums of expression. This year, The Art Outside Village is bringing a lineup of artists to provide installations, workshops, performances and more.

There's also a number of local performers on this years' lineup including CAPYAC, Henry The Invisibles, Sip Sip, Magna Carda, Blunt Force.

photo from Euphoria 2016 by Ricardo Romero

Maverick Music Festival

One of the best music moments in 2016 in San Antonio was Maverick Fest. A solid lineup, middle of downtown, great people - it was a blast. A lot of festivals take place in a field or a park outside of cities or on the grounds (parking lots) of stadiums. One of the best parts of attending Maverick Fest is the location and the layout. La Villita sits in the middle of downtown San Antonio with the Riverwalk running right through it. It's large enough to get the festival atmosphere, but small enough to not break the bank or exhaust you beyond belief.

De La Soul

This year's lineup includes 40 performers on a main stage, the river stage and a biergarten with DJs. Attendees can enjoy authentic San Antonio cuisine from local restaurants and vendors, such as Bite, Frank, and Grayze, as well as Pacifico beer, cocktails by Deep Eddy Vodka, Seersucker Gin, Mighty Swell, Spy Valley Wine.

2017 will once again bring back the Bizarre Bazaar – a market with unique and handcrafted goods for sale from vendors such as Robot Monster Guitars, Collectables, BarbacoApparel, Wildcraft Print Shop and more.

VIP tickets for 2017 are sold out. Limited GA tickets for Maverick Music Festival are available at www.maverickmusicfestival.com for just $99 for a two-day pass.

Miles Terracina: -chief lyricist and beat programmer of the electronic
music group Mixed Use Media. -Founded the blog & character persona
PunkSoda. -Creator of Sobre Sound -writes about music -likes barbacoa